Lighters such as those used for igniting tobacco products, such as cigars, cigarettes, and pipes, have developed over a number of years. Typically, these lighters use either a rotary friction element or a piezoelectric element to generate a spark in proximity to a nozzle emitting fuel from a fuel container. Piezoelectric mechanisms have gained universal acceptance. One such piezoelectric mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,697 ("the '697 patent"). The disclosure of the '697 patent is incorporated by reference herein.
Lighters have also evolved from the small, hand-held lighters to several forms of extended lighters. These lighters are also hand held, but are more useful for general purposes such as lighting candles, barbecue grills, fireplaces and campfires. Earlier attempts at such designs relied simply on extended actuating handles to house a typical lighter at the end. Examples of this concept are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,259,059 and 4,462,791.
In addition, many utility lighters have had some form of operating mechanism to prevent unintentional operation of the lighter by adults. Often, these mechanisms take the form of on/off switches that may prevent actuation of the lighter. However, the on/off switches must be positively moved by the user between the "on" and "off" positions, and as a result have drawbacks. For example, an adult user may forget to move the switch back to the "off" position after use and thereby render the feature ineffective.
Published PCT application WO 92/08931 discloses a safety device for a gas lighter having a piezoelectric mechanism. The safety device includes a switch, which when moved to a first position allows the spark generated by the piezoelectric mechanism to be discharged at a location remote from the released gas. Thus, ignition of the gas is prevented. When the switch is moved to a second position, the spark is discharged at a location sufficiently proximal to the gas flow to allow ignition of the released gas, and hence normal operation of the lighter. The safety mechanism disclosed in WO 92/08931 suffers from the same drawbacks as other on/off switches.
Published PCT application WO 98/31774 ("the '774 publication") and the two related U.S. patent applications, U.S. Ser. No. 08/787,399 filed Jan. 22, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,895, ("the '399 application") and U.S. Ser. No. 08/917,134 filed Aug. 25, 1997 ("the '134 application"), all disclose a utility lighter. The disclosures of the '399 application and the '134 application are incorporated by reference herein. In one embodiment, the utility lighter has a valve actuator for releasing fuel and a piezoelectric mechanism for generating a spark proximal to a nozzle. An actuating assembly facilitates depression of the valve actuator and activation of the piezoelectric mechanism. A latch member normally locks the actuating assembly in an inoperative position. The latch member functions by mechanically preventing the actuating assembly from releasing the fuel gas in combination with compressing the piezoelectric mechanism to prevent the generation of a spark. Even though the mechanical blocking means disclosed in the '774 publication satisfactorily resists unwanted actuation, it may be desirable to have an electrical blocking mechanism to resist unwanted actuation.
Thus, there remains a need for a utility lighter which resists unwanted actuation by electrical blocking means, either alone or in combination with mechanical blocking means.